USC

Anyone who regularly follows my columns knows what a “Hawaii Five-0” freak I am. I’ve already seen the turbo-charged pilot and can’t wait for you to see it, too. But here’s something to tide you over: CBS got together with the USC marching band (Remember “Tusk”?) to do a fast-paced music video of the show’s iconic theme song. Just listening to it gets me stoked. The only way it could have been better is if the Cal band was used instead. Go Bears!

Arguing whether a video game is art like beating a dead horse. It’s an issue that’s been discussed over and over again in message boards and ranting posts. Over here, we think the argument has been over for quite some time.

Games are art and we’ve been treating the medium like it was in the column. Now enter, video artist Bill Viola. He’s been working with Tracy Fullerton of a game design professor at University of Southern California on a game called Night Journey.

Designed to be an installation in a museum, the piece uses a PlayStation 2 controller and is one of the more conventional titles. But coming from someone who isn’t a hard-core gamer, that’s understandable. The high art game is in first-person and lets users navigate a world around dusk.

Viola and the other developers colored Night Journey in blacks, whites and grays and it’s heavy on the filters. What you have is a slower-paced game that’s more of an experience than a actual game. Fullerton called it a deeply reflective piece, almost like a spiritual journey.

Consider yourself one-upped Thatgamecompany. (By the way, the studio also has ties to USC.) Cloud and fl0w aren’t the only highfalutin titles out there.